25th anniversary of Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid

The Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM) started operations in 1986 as a Public Transport Authority to coordinate infrastructures and services for the different modes of transport in the Madrid Region. Its strategy is based on three pillars: administrative, modal and fare integration.

Ever since, as well as implementing this essential function to organise a truly integrated public transport system, the CRTM has also consolidated its essential role as a network planning body. It is now considered a model and a benchmark for many other regional systems.

Thanks to this integrated model, during the last 25 years the Madrid Region was able to put an ambitious Infrastructure and services Plan into practice. Among other actions, this has resulted in the most significant enlargement in the history of our underground system, the third largest in the world, including more than 200 km in the last 15 years, and 5 new intermodal stations.

Despite the success and importance of what has been achieved, the Madrid Regional Government is fully aware of the fact that such a modern, dynamic society, in process of expansion, requires ongoing commitment, permanently seeking new solutions. Accordingly, a new plan is currently about to enter into service.

We continue to improve and expand the public transport network in these times of economic crisis, with the extension of three Metro lines (lines 2, 9 and 11), extending the suburban railway network, renewing the train and bus fleets; and, finally, the Modernisation Plan for the interurban bus network has been put into practice which, apart from improving service quality, will provide local people with new information technologies on this mode of transport.

The Region of Madrid is developing an Integrated Collective Public Transport Management Centre, a “big brain” that will coordinate the information on infrastructure and services of the different modes of transportation that operate in the region. This centre will be the first in Europe to receive and manage specific information on all incidents that occur in each mode of transport.

This is an ambitious Plan of a comprehensive, all-encompassing nature that intends to achieve the complementarity of different modes of transport by integrating these via points of intermodal connection.

All in all, during these 25 years, Consorcio Regional de Transportes has provided an efficient response to the challenges that are taking shape in Madrid as far as mobility is concerned. The people of Madrid justifiably consider this Public Transport System to be one of their major sources of pride.

We would like to share with you this Anniversary and invite all transport friends to visit us in Madrid in 2011. We bring People together!

www.ctm-madrid.es